Kiasax
Kiasax was born into the Muina tribe and spent most of her early childhood looking up to her elder sister, Winona. Though the two were never very close (as age differences among the women of the tribe were more significant than blood relations), Kiasax always looked up to her sister as a font of inspiration. Winona was a barbarian, and by the time Kiasax grew strong enough to draw a bow Winona was the chief captain of the skirmishing battalion, in charge of keeping encroaching orcs away from the woodlands. Kiasax spend her childhood training hard to join her sister's battalion, but just months after her 13th birthday Winona left with her battalion and never returned. No news reached the women of the village about their fallen sisters. Finally, Panra, the village elder, sent a raven to search the land for the orc encampment. It returned with word that the losses on both sides were absolute; that the orc threat had been eliminated, but so had the warriors who fought against them. It wasn't until over a year later that one of the warriors, Adexia Arkouda, finally returned to the village at the behest of her childhood friend, Kele, and told the full story of how Winona and her battalion fought so valiantly. Inspired by her sister's courage, Kiasax doubled her training, vowing to one day remove orcs from this land once and for all. Future Arc Over the next few years, Kiasax worked to become a strong warrior, a champion of Lenmana, and a defender of the beautiful woodlands. Between the threat of the orcs, the monsters from the plateau, and now the demons rising up from the West, there was never a time that her people were more threatened. When she became an adult, Kiasax began to feel her village, led by Panra, was falling short in dealing with these threats before they became a problem. Though Adexia was the leader of the exploring battalions, Kiasax was influential in reorganizing their ranks into divisions to deal with the threat in waves. This method, with guerrilla fighters and scouts starting the battle up in the trees, and then foot soldiers charging in to take out the orcs (who now had draw their bows to deal with the threats above) with ease. This method proved so effective that Adexia made Kiasax her second in command at the age of only 18. Neither Adexia nor Kiasax had much regard for the orcs they were sent to kill, and Kiasax never sought to usurp authority from her commander. However, when decisions were left up to her, she was shockingly ruthless to the orcs, seldom leaving survivors. Perhaps due to this, the orcs in the surrounding woodlands, from the plateau down to the settlements to the south, were nearly eradicated, and what stragglers remained were so few and far between that they were hardly able to form a new tribe. But a victory like this was hardly celebrated, as the warriors absence left the village more vulnerable to attacks from wyverns and demons. With the dismantling of the orcs, the warriors were called back to defend instead of pursue their enemies. Back at the village, battles were less frequent, but the threat of enemies loomed every closer. It seemed as though the woodlands themselves were becoming surrounded, and the threat would not be held off forever. The woodlands themselves were suffering under the pressure of the enemy, and in response Panra organized a circle of druids to work to help nurture the land back to its former splendor. Kiasax was angry. Her leader was not taking out the source of the problem, she was just supplying it more sustenance. Surely this was not what Lenmana would have wanted. In the year 209, at the age of 27, Kiasax formed a group of warriors and scouts, and asked Panra if they could please go out and hunt the threat, punch a hole in the enemy's area of influence and reclaim some of the land lost. Panra was reluctant to leave the village less attended, but agreed as she saw determination in Kiasax's eyes. Kiasax, now leading Adexia, was strict but effective. She was a strong leader, and even Adexia wouldn't charge into battle until Kiasax gave the word. In time, she won victory after victory, slowly taking back the woodlands for her people, and setting up outposts along the outer edge to keep the enemies at bay. Her leadership was so effective that those under her command began to call her their queen, and as they now spent most of their lives in the outposts (only really returning to the main village if they wanted to retire or have daughters), they became like a separate tribe from the tribe run by Panra. The Rule of Queen Kiasax However, back at the village contentions were growing among the women who wanted to join with the settlers to the south. Many of the women argued that they were originally without men only because of necessity, and now that there were human males to the south they shouldn't be kept separate as there was no longer a need. Panra would hear none of it. Lenmana had established their tribe in this way, and if they were to join the settlers they would lose what made them unique, and no one would care for the woodlands in the same way. Seeking a different answer, some of the women traveled to join Kiasax and plead with her for the same thing, assuming that Kiasax would give a different answer. In a way, she did. Kiasax sent Adexia to Alfenheim to bring back a messenger, diplomat, or warrior to the outpost. For the first time, a man was being welcomed into the woodlands, and to visit the Muani tribe on their home turf, and the women were hopeful. When he arrived, Kiasax had the women gather around him in a circle and tossed a spear at the man's feet. "Pick it up. And look around. You can choose any of us, from the youngest to the oldest, to fight." Kiasax's demeanor was intimidating, and the man, a scholar, refused to even pick up the weapon. Again and again the challenge was issued, with Kiasax even offering to fight the man with just her fists, but still he refused. Finally, Kiasax picked the spear up from the ground and pointed it at him. "Then run." And he did. She then turned to her sisters in arms. "If any of you truly want to become weak and cowardly like the man we brought here today, you're free to leave of your own accord. For those of us who are warriors, we'll stay here and fight." From then on there was no further talk to joining the settlers, as any of the women who wanted to assimilate kept it to themselves. When Panra learned of this display, she sent for Kiasax to return and discuss with her. They met, and Panra was furious. Kiasax was not the leader of the Muani, and she did not have the authority to bring a man into the fold. Panra informed Kiasax and her sisters that they were no longer a part of the tribe, meaning that they could no longer reproduce with each other and would either be forced to assimilate or die out. Kiasax was upset, but asked to speak privately so as to not make this confrontation a public display. It's unclear how Kiasax swayed Panra's mind, but in the end all the people of Muina would be allowed to change back and forth between the two clans, one led by Panra under the guidance of Lenmana, and the other led by Kiasax under the banner of Aleex, goddess of royalty and passion, and staunch enemy of the orcs. Category:NPC Category:Characters Category:Muani Tribe